


Foxglove & Spiders

by loveliesinwakanda



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avengers Family, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gen, Michelle Jones is Mary Jane, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, She has Mary Jane's personality and a bit of the snark we saw in the movie, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Superhero Michelle, Team as Family, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2018-12-10 22:54:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11701569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveliesinwakanda/pseuds/loveliesinwakanda
Summary: Michelle went to the protest in D.C. and leaves with Captain America, the war criminal, as a contact in her phone. Not only that, but an offer to train her seeing as he's convinced her "observation skills" are more then just a casual skill. She knows she probably shouldn't work with actual war criminals charged with treason but she was always a rebel.In which, Michelle eventually joins Team Cap and gives Tony and his protegee more questions then answers.





	1. Protesting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a protest was really patriotic.

Michelle had just joined the protest, a sign in one hand reading “ _Immigrants make America great_ _”_ as she set an alarm on her phone so she could head back to the hotel in time for dinner. Liz and she were sharing a hotel room and she had informed the girl they would be sneaking into the pool later with a mischievous smile some would call innocent. She had promised she’d be there to please the older girl who had already started her pleading as Michelle finished making her sign.

 _“_ _Come on, MJ! It_ _’_ _ll be fun._ _”_ _Liz had encouraged, eventually joining the girl as she sat on the floor. She started handing her different paints to make the American flag and multiple pride flags._

 _MJ smiled, keeping her eyes trained on the work in front of her. Liz was the only person she let get away with calling her that. She said it when she first asked her to join the decathlon team and hadn_ ' _t stopped since. Well, at any rate not when they were in private._

 _“_ _Fine. I’ll_   _go. I_ _’_ _m still going to the protest, but I_ _’_ _ll be there."_

Michelle was observant. She knew how stressed out the team was. Maybe a crashing the pool would make everyone ease up a bit, all of them were too young for gray hairs.

 _Okay._ Michelle thought. _You have an hour you can be here and then you need to head back, make it count._

She automatically made her way through the crowd, holding her sign up as she went. She’d been at multiple protests before, she lived in New York for crying out loud. She had to admit that this was much… bigger than she anticipated. She figured maybe a few hundred people but there were easily a thousand. Some of them looked around her age and some she recognized as other decathlon kids she’d seen at meets before.

She froze, wishing anyone on her team had gone with her. Maybe even Parker- Nope! Nope. She had to get out of that line of thinking. It was bad enough she was the first to notice when he wasn’t in the room or how he drummed his fingers on the side of the bell during meets to calm himself as he waited for the next question. He already invaded her thoughts too much, she wasn’t about to let him invade this too.

She took a breath and stepped forward only to get knocked down. Her sign fell out of her hand and an annoyed look graced her face. “Watch where you’re walking or do you make a habit out of-!”

“Sorry, ma’am,” the man said. He wore a baseball cap, a hoodie, and from what she could actually see from his face a worried expression. He knelt down, offering a hand to help her up.

She gave him a once over before grabbing his hand in hers and her sign in the other. She nodded her head as she stood. “You’re from Brooklyn, aren’t ya?”

She couldn’t help it. Her mind always raced a million miles a second and she always was blunt about her knowledge. From how he spoke and dressed she gathered he was somewhat old-fashioned but working on being more modern. The way he shifted showed he was anxious or suspicious. His grip when he helped her up was strong and his build reminded her of a military officer. If he hadn’t spoken she would have assumed a solider raised in the south but she could recognize New York accents from anywhere. He looked oddly familiar too.

He paused. “What makes you say that?”

Her shrug resulted in him giving her a harsh look she could feel even under his sunglasses. “Accent, it’s subtle compared to most but it’s there. Why are you at the protest?”

“I didn’t come to protest, just have rotten luck when it comes to visits.”

Michelle frowned, assuming he considered the protest a bother on his vacation or military leave. “Protests are patriotic.”

He smiled, though he seemed suspicious. “That they are.”

Michelle started feeling awkward, he never turned away from her and he had his eyes covered. She never liked when people wore sunglasses because she didn’t know what to expect. She just had word of mouth and body language to go by. She shifted oddly from one foot to another for a few moments.

“So, enjoying your military leave?”

That seemed to have opened the floodgates for him. His slightly suspicious smile turned into a flat line as he took her by her bicep and pulled her through the crowd.  She had dropped her sign after being pulled a little too roughly and knocking into a few people. She looked up to try to tell him to stop but he looked too angry for her to reason with and she didn’t want the protest turning into anything more than a peaceful demonstration, so she didn’t fight him as he walked and instead tried to keep pace.

_Fuck, Michelle. You made it weird again. People tend to not like having a stranger tell them their life story, when will you-!_

He had stopped after weaving them in and out of the lineup of street vendors, pushing her against a wall away from the few of the few there. “What do you know and who sent you?”

His voice was stern and commanding, Michelle had no doubt she would give up he information if she understood what exactly he meant.

Her eyes flickered about, trying to determine what he meant. “Wh-Who sent me to the protest? I-I went on my own. No one on my team wanted to go with-.”

He pulled of his glasses and his glare honestly made Michelle fearful. If anything, that glare confirmed he had to be military personal, most likely a higher up who fixed his soldiers with that look many times.

“Your team? What team? Are you working for Stark or Ross or-?”

Michelle finally recognized him. Captain America was basically interrogating her behind a building. When did her life become some cliché action movie?

“I’m not working for anyone! I’m here with my decathlon team for a meet tomorrow and I wanted to go to the protest before dinner. That’s it! Besides, isn’t the worst idea for a war criminal to go to the capital of the country that declared him a war-?”

“Then how did you know about Brooklyn, and the military, and how did you recognize me, and-!”

“I didn’t recognize you until you so rudely pushed me against a dirty wall and threw off your glasses!” She huffed in exasperation. His look of anger and confusion spurred her on. “Your accent is vague but I can hear the Brooklynn there. I thought at first it was because you were in the military for a while but now I guess it’s because the accent I recognize as Brooklynn right now wasn’t exactly the same in the 40s. Your posture and physic point to some sort of combat training and because we’re in D.C. I assumed military.” She pointed to his feet. “You shifted uncomfortably when we talked so I assumed you were on a dishonorable discharge or could get in trouble with higher ups is you were seen at the protest. Your grip when you helped me stand back up was stronger than an average person so it confirmed the possible military background thing.” She glared up at Steve Rogers. “Happy?”

He looked at her in shock. “Who trained you?” His face scrunched up and he asked another question before she could answer. “How old are you anyway?”

“No one trained me, I’m just really observant.” She shrugged, still awkwardly being pushed against the wall. He was really strong to state the obvious. “And I’m fifteen, I turn sixteen in May.”

His shook off his surprise and returned with a hard look. “I need proof before I let you go.”

She paused for a moment. “In the left pocket of my jacket I have my cell phone. The passcode for it is 9-5-8-5. If you unlock it and open the Twitter app you’ll see a group chat with me and the other decathlon kids. In there will be a photo from our last meet that qualified us for nationals. It was published in a few so that’s a few sources with photo proof that I am Michelle Jones and that I am a student.”

He used one hand to hold her in place in case she tried to make a break for it as he retrieved the phone from her jean jacket. She had to coach him though how to open the app and what to click but eventually he got to the photo of them in the paper. It had been sent along with a message saying “Nationals, here we come.” From someone named Peter Parker.

“Is that enough proof?” She asked, more annoyed now then scared. It felt odd to her she wasn’t afraid, he was a war criminal after all.

Eh, she’d always been one to resist authority.

He took a few more moments to check. She explained how to google search her name and find her information on the online school rooster along with a few news articles about her on decathlon and the many accomplishments of her parents in the medical field. He slowly nodded, softening his grip on her until he was just patting her shoulder. She winced, knowing it would probably bruise. She assumed he was trying to soothe her while still remaining suspicious.

He still held on to her phone, seemingly looking over the information and storing it for later. She realized too late that Captain American now knew her full name and where she went to school. Pretty sure that wasn’t a good thing.

“Are you here because of the Accords?” She asked. She regretted it as soon as he looked at her.

His expression was almost broken. Like the mere mention of it hurt him. “Let me guess, you think I’m committing treason by not signing. I’ve heard it all before kid.”

It was her turn to look confused. “What? No. The Accords are terrible. Anyone who’s actually read them would agree.”

He looked up, hope in his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“The Accords not only limit the Avengers ability to help, it demands that they fight whatever the UN deems necessary. Clearly the UN could abuse that and use the Avengers as a tool to for fear instead of hope which is what you guys are supposed to be.” Steve smiled a bit when she mentioned you guys and hope in the same sentence. “It also puts vigilantes at risk for simply helping without telling the government who they are.” She paused. “Like, Spider-Man and Daredevil and heroes like them. They’d be hunted down and forced to sign the accords or they’d be forced to do nothing. Well, those two or become a criminal of war, no offense.”

“None taken.” He breathed. He let go of her shoulder. “Huh. I didn’t realize any of the people were behind us. I just assumed they’d all turn on us.”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Oh please. The public may have a way to go, but we have access to reading the Accords as well. I still think there should be something the Avengers agree to so they can work with the governments in nations they fight in, but it’s not the Accords. The last thing we need is for our heroes to be used against the people they’re supposed to inspire to be better. There has to be some way to work with the government not under them.”

Steve looked at her quizzically before looking around the ground for the sunglasses he threw before. “You distrust the government?”

Michelle raised an eyebrow, joining Steve on his search. “You realize you're speaking of the same government that went from having a black president to a racist president, right?”

Steve nodded. “Fair enough.” He grabbed the glasses, slowly putting them back on before turning to the young girl. “I’m sorry, by the way. Also, thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

He paused. “I guess in a way you gave me hope that the Avengers could come together again. It maybe years from now, but that it will happen. We just… can’t agree on the details right now.”

She smiled, which was a bit odd for her. “Um… I do need my phone back, sir.”

“Oh, right!” he handed it to her easily. “If you ever need anything or decide that maybe your observation skills aren’t something to shrug about, give me a call.”

She held her phone, chuckling as she unlocked it. “I don’t have your-.”

But she did. Her phone unlocked to the contacts page and showed the initials _S.R._ next to a phone number. She looked up, planning to give him a look of confusion but he was no longer there. Huh. The righteous man with a plan seemed to also be the world’s fastest sprinter.

Her phone rang loudly with her alarm, alerting her to the fact she had ten minutes to catch a taxi to the hotel before Liz started blowing up her phone. Fearing the wrath of her captain, she ran off.

She had a war criminal's phone number and that war criminal was the same person she wrote her history paper on last year. He also insinuated that she had some sort of power due to her observations. He also _also_ knew her personal information and could reach her if he wanted to.

Her life really was becoming a cliché action movie, all she needed was the love intrest.


	2. Helping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Spider-Man helps more than he knows.

Michelle honestly wasn’t thinking of calling or contacting the superhuman, that was until the Washington Monument happened. She was on cloud nine after answering the winning question for the team, though her face only showed a slight smirk. She had a book in one hand as her teammates raced to the national landmark, Flash holding onto the trophy as though his life depended on it as he all but skipped ahead of them all.

“Great job, MJ,” Liz complimented, patting the girl on the back with a huge grin.

Michelle was so happy about the win, she ignored the slip up of using her private nickname in front of people. “It was a team effort.”

Liz’s smile got infinitely brighter as she pulled the girl into a half hug and threw her arm across the younger girl’s shoulders. “The team would be shocked if they heard you actually say that to them.” She chuckled while nodding her head toward the other teens practically dancing their way down the path, reenacting their answered questions.

Michelle shrugged. She didn’t need them to know she thought they were all good together, she didn’t need them going all mushy on her. Decathlon was secretly her favorite part of the school day, band being a close second. She liked seeing what they could do together. It felt good to be part of something.

Liz waved before shouting a “See ya later!” as she took off to catch up with their teammates who were already at the door.

Their coach/teacher supervisor looked between the girls oddly. “Michelle, are you sure you don’t want to join us?”

Michelle made a face before shrugging. “I really don’t want to celebrate something made by slaves, so…”

“Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t-.” he looked to Liz who gave a grimace before nodding. Even the security guard nodded, confirming the girl’s words. “Oh. Well, enjoy your book.”

“Thanks,” Michelle half smiled, leaning against the metal railing, and opening her book. Life was good.

So. Life was good for approximately fifteen minutes.

“My friends are up there!” Michelle found herself yelling before she had a moment to think. Her heart was racing and she didn’t even know who exactly she was speaking to. Seeing the previously solid monument tremble and knowing her friends were inside made her feel cold, even in the bright sunlight. She overheard someone mention that a group of students were inside the elevator and tried her best to keep from hyperventilating.

“Ugh, don’t worry, ma’am. I’ve got this.”

Michelle hadn’t registered the words or who spoke them until she saw Spider-Man crawl up the side of the building. _Wait. Why isn’t he in New York?_ Pushing her racing mind to the side she stared, watching the masked hero attempt, and then finally succeed in breaking the glass with the unwilling help of the police.

 _How dare they try to stop him?_ Michelle felt rage burn inside her. He was helping more than they were. They were threatening opening fire on him while he was trying to help her friends that were in danger. The only thing keeping her from flipping off their helicopter as they flew away was the fact she had raced forward as her friends came out, holding onto Liz for dear life.

“Thank God,” she breathed letting the senior go and looking over the other members with relief on her face. Ned seemed to be slightly more banged up, but he was still breathing. She’d have to make a mental note to not punch him in the shoulder for a week or so.

Liz let out a disbelieving laugh. “Thank Spider-Man.”

It was a small phrase, meant to show gratitude to the hero that had already disappeared, but it had a different effect on Michelle then a simple praise to the masked vigilante.  If the Accords became real for all heroes… Spider-Man would have been tried and jailed for saving her friends. At the bare minimum, he would have been de-masked and forced to sign the Accords. If he was under the Accords, he wouldn’t have been able to save them. Hell, he probably wouldn’t be able to save half the amount of people he usually did.

As she thought, their teacher called them all over to where the police were asking questions about the event and where journalists were starting to pile up for a story other than the corrupt government. She slowly let go of Liz, letting her walk over to the officers. She hugged a few other teammates, including Ned who seemed shocked beyond belief and chalked it up to the fact she thought they were going to die.

While they were interrogated, Michelle slipped back into the background. It gave her an odd sort of solace. It was familiar and after today she needed familiar. She slowly pulled her phone from her back pocket, scrolling through the contacts, and stopping at the new one.

  _I’m in._

It was simple and didn’t explain that she wanted to help fight for the person who saved a group of the few people she cared about. It didn’t mention how angry she felt that the police had threatened to shot someone for helping more than they could when they should have been worried about her friends. It accrued to her she was risking her safety and possibly more by even texting him two words but she didn’t care.

Her mom would call it her “blind righteousness”, her uncaring attitude to everything except the injustice in her mind that needed to be fought.  She called it passion, Liz referred to it as “her little demon”. Whatever it was called, it was here and it was ready to fight.

_You sure?_

The reply was faster than expected. She assumed running from multiple countries would result in multiple read receipts. Add in the fact he’s technically ninety something and this was even more unbelievable. Either he was better at technology then he let on earlier or he had someone who knew technology with him, she bet it was the second one.

She read the message a few times before looking up at her friends, a few still trembling and all of them stand-offish around the crowd.

_Positive._

 

* * *

 

 

Like the text message, the response she got was faster than she expected. She had been outside around the monument for hours, jumping between comforting people and being held back from fighting journalists. Her friends had just been through a traumatic experience and the questions weren’t making it easier for them.

“How did you feel when you felt the elevator drop?” “What did you think right before you could have crashed?” “Please describe the fear you felt.”

The only thing that kept her from pulling out her pepper spray was the fact that as soon as she was about to jump in and yell at and/or get physical with a reporter, Flash had started shaking so she would go to calm him down. Or Cindy needed a shoulder to cry on. Or Charles just wanted her there while he called his mom to explain what happened. If she couldn’t clearly see the fear and shock still in their eyes and the nervous shakes in their hands, she would have thought they conspired to keep her from getting arrested. Actually, that would have been kind of sweet.

Peter showed up about an hour or two later. He and Michelle seemed to have a silent agreement that he would play the comforter too while they waited for permission to leave or their parents to come get them. She didn’t question where he was, he was safe and here to help and that was all that mattered.

 In the short time, they had developed a sort of non-verbal language to let the other know what the other members felt. He would nod in a general direction towards Flash, knowing Flash wouldn’t really find him comforting, before taking her place talking to Cindy while she went to check on the boy. He checked on Ned, she on Liz. Charles and Abe seemed to be doing the best so they would try to fill in as well. It was… safe.

Her phone rang as she was standing up, about to give Liz room to speak to her dad privately. She quickly sent a look to Peter before glancing over behind the crowds and pointing at her phone. He nodded, mouthing a small “I got it, don’t worry.”

She may be biased, but that was the moment she first felt connected to Peter. She gave him a rare, non-ironic or sarcastic smile before ducking out and answering the phone.

“Hello?”

_“Where are you? Me and a few friends are going to meet you to talk about it.”_

Even though Michelle knew it wasn’t going to be her parents, she felt a bit of sadness before the fire started back up inside her.

“Washington Monument.” She answered easily, having woven past reporters and officers with ease. Blending in sure helped in situations like this. She had a feeling that would come in handy.

She heard shuffling on the other end before finally getting a reply. _“The Washington Monument where a class full of students were rescued? That Washington Monument?”_ It was a different voice. Male, sounded around late thirties or early forties. There wasn’t any shook in his tone though. It sounded more like he was clarifying like a teacher would.

“I was unaware we had more than one Washington Monument,” She replied dryly, annoyance coating her voice as like honey. “Hopefully the second one wasn’t built in a similar manner.”

She heard a chuckle and swore she heard a female voice laugh out a “ _You sure can pick ‘em, Rogers.”_

“ _When are you heading back to New York?”_

“Later tonight.” She paced as she spoke, glancing up at the students from a distance. “I have permission to head home but I want to make sure my classmates are okay.” She let out a humorless laugh. “You’d think New Yorkers would be more used to near death experiences given how many times someone has tried to take over the world by starting there.”

 _“You never get used to them, kid.”_ Yet another voice commented. _“You just get better at dealing with the aftermath.”_

Michelle shuffled awkwardly. Maybe it was because she’s emotional or maybe it was because she didn’t know them well, but she didn’t want to talk about getting better unless it meant stopping things like this from happening. “While I’m sure Hallmark would adore that, it doesn’t help me right now.” It came out snarkier then she intended, but she couldn’t take it back.

Whoever was on the line now found it funny, because she heard laughter from more than one voice.

_“Huh. I like this one already.”_

_“We’ll contact you tomorrow afternoon. Be there for your team until then.”_

The line went dead and Michelle stared at the call ended screen for a few moments before shaking her head and making her way back through the crowd. Her face was stone hard, her stance one that mimicked a warrior charging into battle. She’d solidified her fate. She wouldn’t have it any other way. She always was one to fight.

When she had shoved her way back to her friends, she could see Peter was sitting next to Cindy. He usually seemed awkward around girls but he was rubbing her back soothingly while assuring her that her parents were on their way and that she was okay.  Her tears had dwindled down to slight hiccups and she had a tissue clutched in one of her hands. Peter must have head her approach because he looked up.

Michelle wondered if Peter knew how comforting he was. When he looked up at her he had a sad smile on his face but it made her feel better than she had all day. She saw worry coat his face as he saw her expression. With his hand not rubbing Cindy’s back he reached up, grabbing her hand. She almost jumped at the contact.

“Michelle, are you okay?” he asked slowly, like he was trying to calm a wild deer. She nodded, moving to sit next to him and reaching over him to hold one of Cindy’s hands.

She would be. She would make sure all of them, including their hero of the day, was okay. Or she would die trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I didn't list them all in the tags but all of Team Cap will be involved. Also, this is canon divergence so everything up until the trip to D.C. in Spider-Man: Homecoming is canon. Vulture will not be a major character though he will be mentioned, this is from MJ's point of view. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for the kind comments. :)


	3. Lying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Michelle tells a lie.

Michelle had never actually gone home, at least not hers, she spent the night at Liz’s house. When she had off-handedly mentioned that her mother was working late and her dad was off who-knows-where, Liz had refused to let her return to the empty house for longer than it took her to grab a few necessities. Michelle brushed her off but Liz’s parents insisted and Michelle always had an issue saying no to her “other parents” (as Liz commonly called them). One look from Mr. Toomes and a worried voice from Mrs. Toomes had her agree quickly. So here she sat, changed and ready to head to the school as Liz sang along to the Hamilton soundtrack in the joint bathroom, finishing her eyeliner.

“You know if you weren’t trying to hit Eliza’s notes you may not have almost stabbed your eye as many times.” The younger teen laughed, finally standing and walking behind the other girl. Her face was trying to show irritation but it didn’t reach her eyes that were saturated with amusement.

Liz glanced at the girl in the mirror before smiling. “What’s the point of having my eyeliner sharp if my notes aren’t sharper?”

She gave herself a once over quickly before nudging her friend’s shoulder playfully as she walked back to her desk. “Come on,” she encouraged, tossing the other girl’s phone at her before grabbing her own backpack. “I’m not letting a freak accident ruin our perfect attendance.”

Michelle caught the phone with ease, checking to make sure- what was she supposed to call him? Mr. Rogers? No, that just reminded her off the kid’s show. Captain America? Former Captain America?- whatever she was supposed to call him hadn’t texted or left a message while she had slept. Nothing yet. She knew it would be subtle but she hoped he wouldn’t try anything at school.

“Yes, because almost dying in an elevator at the nation’s capital is nothing compared to a tardy note,” she mocked, easily walking up to the girl and nudging her back. “You sound more and more like Hermione every day.”

“Killed or worse, expelled!” Liz laughed as she wrapped an arm around the taller girl and waked out the door. “I told Mom we’d walk to the subway then take that to the school. It was either that or wake up earlier to catch a ride with dad before he heads out of town again.”

“No problem,” Michelle assured her as the stepped out of the house and started down the sidewalk.

The Jones’ and Toomes’ had been close for years. Her dad went to high school with Liz’s before they split in different directions, MJ’s dad went into the military while Liz’s study construction and started a business. They lost contact for a bit but met up when MJ’s mother, who was a doctor, taught a class for pregnancy when Liz’s mother was pregnant with her. Both of the husbands happened to pick up their wives at the same time and recognized each other. Liz called it fate deciding both intelligent girls should stick together as they both got into the most advance science school New York had to offer.

Liz turned her backpack so she could reach inside to take something out. “Mom made you a lunch too. Said that they don’t feed us well at the school.”

MJ grabbed the bag quickly as she was passed it. “Thank the Lord above-… I mean, maybe gods? Ugh, the Thor thing still confuses me. Thank the universe, then! Your mom is a wonderful cook.’

Liz laughed. “Don’t let her hear that or she’ll send you food every day.”

“Can I have that in writing?”

Liz took the other girl’s hand as they walked the too noisy streets of the city that seemed to not know what sleeping in meant. The school wasn’t too far and walking was something they, like most New Yorkers, learned to love. Cars were wonderful but no one wanted to be sitting in traffic forever when many places were a simple walk or light jog away.

 Most days the anxiousness of the city seemed too much for Michelle, she much rather preferred to take it slow and relax (her parents called her a “small town girl who never lived in a small town”). However, ever since she met the former patriotic icon she had been… off to say the least. She showed emotion to the extreme to people who had rarely even seen her smile, Liz was the only one not scandalized by her worry for the others and care during their time of need.

She was pretty sure Ned mumbled something about “The wizard giving the tin man a heart” playfully, but she had ignored it in favor of helping Cindy calm down.

“Aren’t you excited for Homecoming?” Liz tried to sound casual but Michelle could hear the suggestion in her voice.

“I thought we established Homecoming was your thing.”

“It could be a good way to bond with the other team members.” The persuasion in her voice was obvious.

A groan came from the taller girl’s lips as she flipped off a driver who beeped at them. “Don’t use the team against me!”

“It’s the only ammunition I have!”

Michelle paused, still smiling. “I’ll think about it.” She glanced down at her phone, not sure if it was habit or the nerves of what was supposed to happen. She saw something, though not from the person she expected. She hit the call back button and put the phone between her and Liz with the volume up.

“ _Michelle_?”

“And Liz!” Liz immediately. “What’s up, Peter?”

“Yeah, is there a reason you called this early? If you’re asking to copy my history homework again, loser, I swear-.”

“ _N-No. I was just wondering if you were all right. You were acting a little odd the other day._ ” He didn’t sound harsh, but he did sound worried or even anxious.

“Well, I mean, near-death experiences aren’t an everyday occurrence. Also, I wasn’t in the elevator.” Michelle let the snark coat her response.

Liz elbowed her. “That’s how she teases, Peter. She’s fine and so am I. Thank you for your concern.”

“ _Good. Um, Ned wants me to tell you thanks for sitting with him when he called his mom. He can_ _’_ _t come to the phone now and he_ _’_ _s gonna be late to class so he wanted me to tell you_.”

Liz looked expectantly at her friend, looking between her and the phone as if to say, “go ahead…”.

Michelle shrugged on instinct, though she knew he couldn’t see her. “It’s no problem, you guys would do the same.” She hesitated. “Hey, Parker, where were you during the tournament anyway?”

Liz’s face took on a matching look of confusion. “Yeah, where were yo-?”

“ _I_ _’_ _m sorry, you guys! I have to go or I_ _’_ _ll miss the subway. See you guys in class._ ”

The call ended as Michelle pulled the phone into the palm of her hand, glaring at the photo of the boy. “He’s hiding something.” She accented her accusation with a finger wag at the senior. “He’s hiding something and I will find out what it is.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “He was probably just at some store or something, MJ.”

“Liz, he quit band as we were learning the _Imperial March_. That’d be like you quitting drama club right before being casted as the lead. It would never happen. He’s hiding something and I will know what it-!”

Her rant was halted by a new message from _S.R._  on her phone. It was simple, only three words: _On your left_.

She knew enough not to turn and look with Liz starring at her so she thought fast. Releasing a groan she turned to the girl. “My mom wants me to pick up a book for her. I’ll just grab it now and meet up with up before homeroom, I don’t want to try to rush to the store after class.”

Liz nodded. “I can go with you-.”

Michelle shook her head. “No, you can’t. Betty’s going to be worried sick if you and I are late, you have to take one for the team on this and deal with Betty’s momma bear mode.”

Liz rolled her eyes and laughed before dramatically throwing her arm over her eyes. “Alas! Remember me when I am cuddled to death by the blonde bear who puts actual bears to shame!”

“Later, drama queen.” MJ said with a two-finger salute as her friend ran past the taxi while yelling at them to follow the traffic laws.

The nerves settled in her stomach as she walked to her left, entering a branch of the city that seemed a little less chaotic. A bookstore, a café, a hole-in-the-wall, a hipster’s favorite street. She’d been in this area before, though under much different circumstances. Few people came to this area, which made it perfect for war criminals in this case.

Michelle wasn’t stupid, in fact she was one of the smartest people in her class. She narrowed down the group of people she could be meeting to two people due to circumstances. They had to be adaptable, hidden in plain sight, an under the radar. With that in mind, she found her almost instantly, because she knew what she was looking for.

She walked over to the small table outside the café, the woman drinking coffee with blonde hair made no move as the young girl sat at the table next to her. Their backs we facing each other, Michelle figured it would lessen suspicion around them.

“You’re a smart one, I see.”

Michelle pulled out a book out of her back and opening it to give the appearance that she was reading as she reclined in her chair. “That’s an honor coming from my favorite Avenger.”

The woman turned to the woman turned, nudging her slightly as she pulled down her sunglasses. Michelle turned and felt a smirk come on her face as she chalked up another victory to her reasoning.

_First guess out of the two candidates. Ding! Ding! Give the girl a prize._

“Aw,” Black Widow, Ms. Romanoff, cooed playfully. “I’m your favorite? Sam and Steve are going to be disappointed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am changing the name of the story from Cliche & Clever to Foxglove & Spiders. :) I will also try to update at least every other week on this story and update one my series stories every week. I'm sorry this took so long and thanks for reading!


	4. Running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Michelle hates running.

When Michelle agreed to this whole whatever-this-mess-was she had not been told it would involve running until she thought she would see her breakfast again. If she had, she probably would have gone back to the picket line after her run in with Mr. Stars and Stripes. However, Michelle was not a quitter and she already had made up her mind. Besides, as a military brat she’d been taught the importance of physical health and self-defense. Hell, her dad had her running through the Presidential Fitness Test in middle school! Better than average, however, was not up to the super spy’s standards.

Michelle leaned against a tree, attempting to slow her breathing, and running physics equations through her head in an effort to not think about the uneasiness in her stomach. She opened her eyes, looking at the woman who seemed to be breathing regularly despite the workout, a small smile on her face.

“At least you aren’t starting from square one. More like square one and a half, possibly three-quarters.”

Michelle put on a mock glare. “You’re not my favorite anymore.”

Natasha laughed, moving to sit beside the girl. “Come on. You’re smart enough to know all this,” the spy pointed to the girl’s head before gesturing to the rest of her body. “will mean nothing if this can’t protect it.”

Michelle’s breathing was the only sound for a few moments, the shaded area of the tree branching out over the grass that was either thriving or dying from lack of attention. It was an old forgotten track field on the outskirts of one of the suburbs. There hadn’t been one car in sight beside the one they had used to get there through the New York traffic. The paint on the grass had long since been faded, along with most of the neighborhood from the sight of it, but she supposed that’s why this location was picked.

“Still better than listening to Flash attempt to sound smart in Physics.” She joked easily, her breathing finally stabilizing before she turned to the woman next to her. “So… what’s you’re deal?”

Natasha lifted an eyebrow. “Deal?”

Michelle nodded, still looking her in the eye as if she would be able to tell she were lying. The thought was laughable. “Yeah. You were one of the first to sign the Accords, but you’re sitting here with me because the very people you fought about the Accords asked you to.”

Natasha paused, seeming to analyses the girl like a code she was trying to crack with a timer on the clock. “It’s complicated. I agree with the idea of the Accords and will continue to be subject to them. I choose that.” A moment went by. “While they don’t agree with the Accords, we should have handled it differently. Simply taken them off the Avenger initiative, put them on suspension until we could perfect the amendments allowing more freedom. I understand why they are against it, I just couldn’t sit there and wait for a perfect version of the Accords to agree to. We need to be accountable to the people we’re protecting.”

Michelle looked at the ground in confusion. “Why not wait for the perfect Accord though? It wouldn’t be that hard-.”

Natasha took a deep breath before starting again. “Let me explain it another way. What are some precautions we take with other civil servants? The police, the fire department, the elected officials, any of them. Just name some precautions we have.”

Michelle fought the urge to launch into a monologue, deciding instead to name a few things. “Police either have dashboard camera or body cameras, sometimes they have both. Elected officials generally go public with their official documents. I’m not too sure about firefighters, but I’d imagine they have something open with the public. What does this have to do with the Accords?”

“A lot, actually.” The woman reasoned, turning her body to face the high schooler. “There were more precautions geared toward accountability local police and officials then there was towards the team of Earth’s mightiest heroes. One group that could act outside the law with no system of consequences set up should an individual go rogue or disobey orders. Your high school probably has a rule book, right? A small booklet with things against wearing tank tops or leggings. That had more rules then a team of superheroes. Our one rule was don’t let the world end. Everything else, at least on paper, didn’t matter.”

Michelle nodded slowly, though she still trusted the Accords were wrong. She… saw where Natasha was coming from, but it didn’t mean anything to the people who would need help faster than the UN could gather a meeting allowing the Avengers to assemble and prevent disaster. The lives of the innocent matter, both the lives lost when they could act and when they couldn’t. It was complicated, but it was politics so she assumed it came with the territory.

“So, why are you helping them?” the spy asked, leaning her side against the tree.

Michelle looked up quickly. “What?”

“Why did you take Steve’s offer? It’s odd you didn’t call the police after you saw him. It’s odder that you didn’t delete his number.” Natasha gave the look that got her information every time in the past, curiosity mixed with amusement. “What’s really striking is the fact you agreed to work with a known criminal and his team of vagabonds. You don’t seem gullible or overly trusting, too young to be going through a mid-life crisis, so I’m going with some dramatic event.”

“You’re good.” Michelle stated the obvious with awe in her voice.

“You’re stalling.”

Michelle turned to face the woman. “My friends were saved by Spider-Man the other day. If he signed the Accords, he would not have been there to save them and he may have gotten in trouble for saving them if he did somehow get there. I don’t want anyone to get hurt, or worse die, because people have to live in fear of doing what they know is the right thing.”

Natasha looked her over again, a few moments into the stare off she smiled. “You’re not lying. You pass the first test.”

“Wait, the gym class from hell wasn’t the test?”

Natasha shook her head, smiling. “I was to make sure you weren't working for Ross. The location was to get you away from all signal, just in case you were wired. Running was to increase exhaustion, which tends to lower physical and emotional guard. You aren’t the only one who’s clever. You gotta learn to examine situations exactly like you do people, Foxglove.”

The girl looked impressed and confused as the woman pushed herself up before offering her a hand.

“Wait, what? Foxglove?” She asked as she took the agent’s hand.

Natasha pulled her up easily, smiling as she started walking back to the car. “It’s your new codename. They don’t want to risk your safety by using your actual name on their lines. The lines are private, but we want to take every precaution needed.” She turned, walking backwards as the teenager staggered behind. “Be grateful Wanda was there. It was between She-lock and Ms. Clever before she thought of Foxglove.”

Michelle shuddered. “Ugh. So, are we going to meet them?”

“Nope, you’re going back to class. You passed part one, now go learn like a normal kid your age. You shouldn’t have missed that much.” Natasha, opened the car’s driver door, waiting until the other girl was inside.

Michelle picked up her backpack from the floor of the passenger seat, rummaging through for her phone as she plopped down and shut the door. She found it at the bottom, unlocking the screen to see what she had missed.

“Shit! Liz’s gonna kill me!”

“Language.” Black Widow chastised, starting the engine, and putting the car in drive.

Michelle glanced up at her, clearly amused.

“Sorry. Must be hanging out with Steve too much.”


	5. Sketching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which detention has a familiar face.

Much to the observant girl’s disappointment, she didn’t actually miss her physics class. She had missed first period, homeroom announcements, and the bell to her second period class but overall the school day was far from over. It seemed that meeting the star-spangled man with a plan and the incident in D.C. turned her entire life upside down. Not only was she showing emotions she typically reserved but she now had all eyes on her as she tried to quietly close the classroom door and made her way to her seat.

Michelle looked down, readjusting the books in her hand as she mentally cursed herself for signing up for the AP environmental science class. It didn’t help that her friend was eyeing her questioningly from their shared table.

“Miss Jones, would you care to tell the class why you are late?” Mrs. Jameson questioned, a hand placed on her hip as she used the other one to gesture to the graph on the board.

Michelle froze and felt the blood drain from her face. This had never happened before, the eyes and the expectation of an answer. “S-Sorry, Mrs. Jameson. It won’t happen again.”

The woman looked at her for a second longer before nodding her head in the direction of her seat, silently ordering her to sit down and prepare for the rest of the lecture. Michelle happily obeyed, rushing to the back and sitting next to Liz.

“Mind telling me why getting a book took you so long?” Liz asked in a casual tone, doodling aimlessly on a piece of notebook paper. Mrs. Jameson had returned her attention to the bored, though none of the students seemed to be paying attention. Michelle swore she say Flash and Abe playing paper football in the corner.

Michelle huffed as she set down the books and took the pencil from behind her ear into her hand, joining the Liz’s swirls with a rough sketch of Mrs. Jameson with exaggerated features. “Ran into someone.”

A small smile found its way onto Liz’s face. “Is it a special someone? Betty’s going to start setting you up with guys from the business club if you don’t find a date for homecoming.”

Michelle shuddered. “Ugh. They’re all entitled rich kids. Besides, what if I wanted to bring a girl?”

Liz had to cover her mouth to stop a laugh from erupting in the middle of video regarding the test next Friday. “Not all of the business club is male, also that would give Betty even more reason to force you to go. She doesn’t want to be the only one there in a “not straight” couple.”

There was a pause.

“Wait, she asked Cindy?”

“Yep, in homeroom. It was cute, you should have been there.” It was said casually, but MJ could hear the sharpness at the end. It felt like a sting from a wasp.

Michelle looked down, moving on from her sketch that was a cross between the teach and a banshee to an empty are of the paper. “Let me guess, flowers were involved?”

“No actually, an old Avengers Valentine’s day card. Cartoon picture of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts on it that said, “You complete me.” in the middle.”

Michelle raised an eyebrow. “That worked?”

“No, they laughed at it then Betty told her they could make a better one before asking her to homecoming.”

Michelle let out a sound of approval before returning to her art of Betty and Cindy, drawing them, and adding the corny words from the card below it. Liz giggle under her breath before drawing a giant heart around it and commenting “I ship it” to the side. They continued drawing hearts around their new favorite couple until the bell rang, making the sound of shuffling feet and the squeak of chairs against the titled floor fill the room.

Liz slung her messenger backpack over her shoulder. “Hey, instead of regular practice tonight we’re going to have a team bonding night. The leadership books talk about bonding after erupt changes and how time of vulnerability can make a team stronger.”

“This is an excuse to make all of us watch Newsies, isn’t it?”

Liz opened her mouth, a look of slight annoyance on her face. “Okay, my life doesn’t revolve around musical-?”

Michelle pointed to her bag, littered with buttons from musicals she had seen on Broadway and pins she had collected from eBay when they sold out at the theater. Indignantly, Liz covered as many of the buttons as possible. “That is beside the point. We are meeting at Cindy’s house tonight at five, her parents already said yes. You’re going.”

Liz turned, rushing through the classroom with a blush. Not being able to help herself, Michelle yelled one last thing.

“As long as it’s not Newsies!”

Liz turned back before finally leaving the room. “We’re watching The Wiz and you’ll like it.”

Michelle fought the urge to laugh as she slowly followed the herd of others exiting the class room. She passed Mrs. Jameson who simply held out a piece of paper to the girl. Michelle took it, waiting until she had left the room to groan aloud.

Detention. Great. Wonderful. Fantastic.

She dragged her feet as she made her way to the room she’d been in multiple times for different reasons. The school’s “in class detention” policy was an excellent way to practice sketching emotion from people in crisis when she had a free period. Huh. This was in a way some twisted irony.

Walking in, she handed the slip of paper to the teacher, who genuinely did a double take. Yeah, Michelle was a lot of things but a trouble maker was not one of them so seeing her in detention was another example of how her life had been flipped upside down.

Without waiting for a response, she moved to sit in a desk in the back, only halting when she heard her name.

“Michelle?”

Michelle fought a smile, settling on a smirk instead. “Hey, loser. Whatta you in for?” She plopped down in the seat next to him, casually tossing her books on the small basket under the desk.

The boy’s arms were crossed on the desktop, his head was laying against them as if they were his makeshift pillow. “Missing the meet. I’m sorry about that by the way, it- There was a family issue.”

Michelle tried not to look at him, opening her sketch pad and making a rough outline. “Family issue? Your aunt was fine.”

Peter paused. “You know about my aunt?”

“You talk about her at lunch and she still packs your lunch, loser. She writes little notes on your napkin that you pretend not to care about, but I see you smile when you read them before eating.”

Peter looked shocked, giving the girl a once over. “How did you-?”

“I’m observant, loser.” She rolls her eyes, glancing at him before adding more detail to her sketch. She wouldn’t admit it aloud, but he wasn’t difficult to sketch from memory alone. It had to be more of her observation skills than anything else.

“What about you?” he asked after a moment.

“I was late to class,” she explained, working on the shading as the teacher set up the TV.

“No, I mean, what about you? You know so much about everyone but… I know next to nothing about you.”

Michelle looked up from her paper, speechless for a moment before slowly murmuring a, “Does that bother you?”

“The fact that I don’t know much about you? Kind of. I mean, you call the team your friends and you helped everyone after the Washington Monument but… it doesn’t seem fair? Why don’t we know about you? I know more about Flash than I know about you, which… is really saying something. I mean, I know your name is Michelle-.”

“MJ,” the girl said quickly. She looked back to her paper quickly as the boy’s eyes stayed glued to her face for a moment.

“I’m sorry, what?” He asked, wanting clarification.

“My name is Michelle, but I prefer my friends call me MJ. Michelle Jones. MJ. My initials. So, just say MJ.”

Peter looked at the front, seeing the teacher struggle with the TV and setting up the DVD.

“So, you’re admitting we’re friends?”

Michelle huffed in annoyance, turning fully to face him. “Yes. I am friends with you and the rest of the team. I don’t suffer through movie nights of musicals and burnt microwave popcorn for people I don’t at least tolerate. Now, keep that look on your face and stop moving. I’m trying to draw people in crisis and it doesn’t help when you fidget every other second.”

Peter smiled after half a second. “Sure, MJ. But, you’re telling me about this movie night. I’ve been in here since class started and I need to let May know if I’m not going to be home right away.”

Michelle nodded, accepting the conditions before returning to her art work.

“You need to hit the power button on the remote for the DVD player, Mr. Robinson.” Peter called to the struggling teacher, more in secondhand embarrassment at the middle-aged man not knowing how to work the somewhat old technology. Michelle fought a laugh as the teacher walked closer to Peter, who ended up setting up the video for him.

She was almost done with her masterpiece when she heard it.

 _“_ _So, you messed up._ _”_

She knew that voice. She looked up to see Captain America on screen in all his spandex wearing glory, sitting on a chair in the middle of a green-screen hallway. Snickering she pulled out her phone, taking a quick photo.

Peter glanced at he oddly, confused as to why the artist had stopped working. “What are you doing?”

“It’s an inside joke with a friend,” she whispered back, smiling at him before turning her attention back to her phone. It felt refreshing to act like this with someone that wasn’t Liz or Betty. It felt different though, good different.

She started the new message to S.R. Attaching the photo and writing her message.

_They better have paid you big bucks to do this. I know you grew up in the depression, but geez man, your dignity is worth more than whatever they gave you._

She sent it before sending another message.

_If I have to wear something like that, I would like to formally resign effective immediately._

The response she got came right as she finished up the shading on Peter’s Midtown sweater. She glanced up at her phone before signing the bottom of the piece and handing it to Peter for inspection. As he looked on in awe of her work, she snatched her phone and quickly read the reply.

 _Keep it up and you_ _’_ _ll be running more than just laps, foxglove. Maybe we_ _’_ _ll get you something with sequins._

She chuckled before turning her attention back to Peter. “Like it?”

He nodded slowly, still staring at it.

“You can keep it if you want. It was for practice more than anything else.”

Peter looked between her and the art for a moment before a grin graced his face and it looked like he had just been told he won the lottery. “Thanks, MJ.”

She attempted a smirk that somehow only showed itself as a shy smile. She’d given people her art work before, why did this feel so different? “No problem, loser.”

The feeling may be a problem, but oh well. She’d deal with it later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in the story so far I have put three kind of Easter eggs. One in the first chapter and two in this one. I want to see if any of you can guess what they are, just for fun. :) The hint for the one in the first chapter is that it has to do with Michelle's phone and the one for the this chapter is that it centers around the teachers. Leave a comment if you think you know or if you just wanna let me know your thoughts on the story. Thanks for reading!


	6. Realizing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Peter realizes what he missed.

Peter and she were in detention until lunch which seemed excessive but given the fact it got her out of having to listen to Flash in her next couple of classes she didn’t complain. The teacher in charge of detention was too busy playing something on his phone (Michelle swore she heard the Candy Crush sound effects) to care that the two had been talking the entire time. MJ started speaking normally after the video ended, but Peter persisted in whispering as if everyone would hear him if he let his voice ring any louder than a new high score on the teacher’s game. The sound of the bell and the teacher telling them they were free to go seemed to activate his non-silent mode.

“How long have you been drawing?”

“Since middle school. I paint too.”

“Why aren’t you in art class?”

“Eh, don’t like the idea of grading something that up to interpretation.”

“Art club?”

“Tried. They only go to fancy art galleries and talk about why things that look like a four-year-old drew them are masterpieces common folks like us wouldn’t get.” Peter nodded in acceptance, angling his body so he was more towards her while weaving through the students with her.

She glanced at him, an eyebrow shooting up as she watches his posture. Huh. He was flexible. She could tell by the way he moved himself through the students, he seemed to catch himself before leaning too far but his body never tensed when he moved at odd angles. She didn’t take him for a gymnastics guy.

“How long have you done gymnastics?” She bumped her shoulder against his.

He paused. “Wha-What makes you think I do gymnastics?”

Michelle stopped herself from launching into a talk about average flexibility and how at ease his body seemed with weird movements. “I’m observant, remember?”

He let out a nervous chuckle. “I-uh, wait MJ, we passed your locker.”

She turned, seeing her locker behind them to the side, she quickly moved to it with the boy following behind. She looked at him in surprise as she dialed her combination. “Don’t you need to stop at your locker?”

He pointed to his backpack. “Nah, I’m good. Besides, you need to tell me about this movie night thing.”

She let herself smile, pulling out the book she had picked for the day and the lunch Liz’s mom made. “Oh, decathlon team is having a movie night at Cindy’s. Most likely it’ll be musicals and maybe, if we’re lucky, some old foreign film we have to read subtitles to understand.”

“Musicals?”

Michelle laughed. “Liz has a problem and Cindy is apparently feeding her addiction.”

Peter sounded conflicted. “Right after school or-?”

“At five, I can send you Cindy’s address if you have to do your intern stuff first.” She closed her locker, seeing Peter’s expression she had a feeling what was coming.

“MJ, I-.”

“Look, Peter,” the girl started, shifting her book and bag as she brushed some hair behind her ear. “You saw how shaken up everyone was. Hell, we were the only ones not on the elevator and we were still a wreck. I’m not exactly thrilled with the idea of sharing a couch with Betty and Cindy holding hands in the popcorn bowl, but… I think some team bonding would do us all some good.”

Peter looked down before looking over her face. Michelle had a feeling he was checking for sincerity.

“Besides,” she crossed her arms, well attempted to. The books and bag made it look like she was carrying them against her chest. “You and Ned owe use for missing the night swim at D.C.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Can I get that in writing?” She asked, only partially joking.

Peter seemed like he was about to reply but a voice pierced the halls that reminded Michelle she really should have texted Betty when she got to the school.

“Michelle Elizabeth Jones!”

“Ah, fuck.” Michelle turned, tying to hid herself against Peter without touching him. It really wasn’t working.

“MJ,” the voice clipped in slight irritation. “You know I can see you, right?”

Peter fought a laugh as MJ looked at him in annoyance before standing so she was at her full height.

“Hey, Betty,” she started slowly while smiling. “Lovely day in New York, isn’t it?”

Betty’s arms were crossed and she looked at Michelle in a way that made her squirm.

“I’m sorry?”

“And…”

“I will text you next time something major happens and not let you hear only from Liz?”

“And…”

“And I love you?”

Betty rolled her eyes. “Good enough, I guess. Damn, MJ. You really need to work on communicating.” She turned to Peter. “Cindy wants me to tell you to make sure you and Ned actually show up tonight. She said if you behave tonight she might let you pick the next movie night.”

Peter looked between them. “The next… is this becoming like, a thing?”

MJ looked at Betty, she seemed just as surprised as she was. “Peter, movie nights have been a thing for the past three months. You just never show.”

Peter shook his head, eyebrows knitting together as he tried to reason with that information. “No, I would remember-.”

“We stopped sending them after you mentioned the internship, but they’ve always been on the decathlon calendar.” Betty added, looking rather irritated.

“And we fight over which movie to watch in the Twitter group chat.” Michelle threw in.

Peter seemed more confused than before. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I missed so much stuff.”

Michelle shrugged, patting him roughly on the shoulder before pushing him to get him to walk toward the cafeteria. “I mean, we get it. Your internship is important. You need to be ready for the future.”

“Still, I thought I was just missing a meet here and there, but if I was missing some tradition thing-. God, no wonder Flash wants me off the team.”

“Flash is an idiot who needs to work on his insecurities before he graduates.” Betty answers stiffly, walking next to MJ. “You’re still part of the team. We just need you to act like it.”

Ouch. Michelle knew that voice. That was Betty’s sweet “I like you but you need a wake up call” voice. Paired with the sweet smile she wore, Michelle could practically feel the guilt radiating off of Peter as Betty pushed MJ a little faster down the hall.

“Noted.” He answered thoughtfully.

“You can start by sitting with the team at lunch.” Betty turned towards MJ. “You too, missy. You had an excuse when Liz and I were first working on the Homecoming decorations but you will socialize this time.”

MJ muffled a groan. “I do socialize.”

“Insults don’t count, hon.”

MJ allowed herself to be practically dragged through the halls, the boy looking at the pair while he walked slowly behind them. MJ noted that when she looked back to see him he appeared more sullen, as if he was atoning for some great sin. It contradicted the happy boy she says talking happily to Ned about The Force Awakens.

She didn’t like it. Not at all.


	7. Bugging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a bug ruins it.

Michelle had forgotten how loud the cafeteria could be. The sound of chairs scratching against the tile floor, the sound of microwaves going off as people pulled leftovers from the night before out, the register opening and closing as students paid for their lunches. She was starting to remember why she sat alone or semi-alone most days.  The sound was quite deafening.

However, with Betty yanking her towards the populated table full of other decathlon members she didn’t really have a choice when it came to escaping. Besides, she didn’t know if now was the time to be playing aloof considering she was all but baking them cookies after the events at the Washington Monument. She supposed she’d have to go suffer through the migraine-inducing noise. If all else failed, she’d ask the school nurse for a Tylenol before her next class.

“Penis Parker!” Flash was met with an annoyed expression from the shorter boy.

“Play nice,” Liz demanded, giving Flash a harsh look before smiling at the trio. “Happy you decided to join us.”

Peter awkwardly sat down, fumbling with his bookbag before stashing it under his chair. “S-Sorry about… nationals and- yeah.”

Michelle sat across from Liz, noting the seating. Ned had already been here and sat so he was at the end with Peter deciding to sit next to him. Ned must have felt awkward or wary, based on body language and the fact that he was already fidgeting in his seat. Peter was facing Liz. His entire body was angled towards her. Huh.

Michelle wasn’t stupid. She knew Peter had a crush on Liz since he joined the team. He was more obvious than a tourist in New York. But this was out of character for him. Talking to anyone outside of Ned was, in fact, Ned was the only person she’d seen him focus solely on both through eye contact and body language. Something had to have happened.

“Where were you anyway, loser?” She questioned, her new observations making her more curious than before.

Flash nodded, gesturing to himself and the other members of the team that were present. “All of us were there, and you just bounced. What the hell is there to do in D.C. that’s more important than the team?"

Cindy lifted a finger, interrupting Flash’s crusade. “Well, it has the Smithsonian.”

Charles threw in. “A Zoological Park.”

“There’s also that art museum.” Abe managed out between bites of his apple.

Michelle snapped around, glaring on instinct at the mention of someone besides her in their group going to see the art. “I swear, Parker, if you ditched us to go to one of the few places I actually give a shit about in D.C.-.”

“I didn’t go to any museum or zoo or any of that kind of stuff,” Peter confessed, throwing his hands up as a sign of surrender.

“Then where were you?” Cindy pressured, leaning over the table.

And because Michelle’s life was now a shitty sitcom, her phone went off before Peter could actually speak.  Her expression went from confused to embarrass when she realized the eyes of her teammates were settled on her. “Sorry.”

She glanced at her phone, only half taking it out of her pocket so she could see what the message said.

_Emergency. Someone who shouldn’t have seen you with Nat. I’m outside your school right now.Play along, I guess we’re testing improve._

Michelle read it quickly and immediately planned. She hurriedly grabbed her bag, pulling the phone out of her pocket as she did so. Scooting the chair back with her foot she glanced at Liz then at Betty before stating. “My uncle is on leave early, he’s outside.”

Uncle, a close enough relative for people to understand why she’s leaving to meet with him but distant enough that the girls wouldn’t ask questions. Also, the fact that the other girls didn’t grow up with much knowledge of how military leave worked meant she could alter the story if necessary. She didn’t feel good lying, but she was good at it. Or at least she hoped she was.

Liz smiled, though it didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Cool. See you later.”

Michelle felt herself bounce awkwardly as she hesitated. “I’ll try to make it to movie night. Only because it’s _The Wiz_ though.”

Betty smiled, waving her off slightly. “If you don’t I’ll hunt you down.”

Michelle pushed her chair in before taking off.

“Don’t make this a habit, Michelle,” Flash hollered as she left. “Flaking is Parker’s thing.”

 

* * *

 

She exited the school with little to no trouble. One of the benefits of being the observant one in the corner was no one expected you to actually ditch. The teachers seemed to walk past her without a care or worry in the world like she had somehow gone ghost.

He was obvious enough to find. Baseball hat, sunglasses, an old hoodie with the Yankees symbol on it, he was sitting in a pretty average car while holding a phone to his ear and keeping the other on the wheel. How this man survived stealth operations, she would never understand.

“I’m not sure if your next PSA should be about the art of being inconspicuous or about the ineffectiveness of PSAs from someone who’s dressed like a walking flag.” She stated easily, climbing into the car.

He didn’t speak before starting the car and whipping out of the student parking lot.  “I’m taking you to our temporary base for now. Natasha is going through their files to find out what they know then we’ll build a cover story around that. I don’t want them taking you for questioning before we have a plan worked out.”

“So, what do I do if they ask about this? I told the team that my uncle was on military leave.”

Steve paused thinking for a moment. “Keep that cover, if all else fails, say he had something planned but it fell through somehow. According to what we found on you, your parents don’t talk much to the school, so you’d be in the clear.”

The girl nodded before launching into another question. “Who saw us this morning?”

“It’s not a who it’s a what.”

Michelle glanced at him with an eyebrow raised.

“It was a bug of sorts. Natasha had tech with her and she didn’t know it had been compromised.”

The girl felt her face go pale. “Does this have anything to do with you guys being wanted?” Would she have to run away? Live outside the law? How the hell was she supposed to go to college-?

“No, well. Not directly. She was compromised through her tech and as far as we know there’s only one person who would be able to do that without her finding out. He’s not bad, but he’s not someone we want to deal with right now.”

Michelle felt herself freeze. “Tony Stark?”

At the nod she received she left out a soft string of swear words before she received a warning look from Steve. “Language. And buckle your seatbelt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update! Finals were crazy. Hope you like the chapter. :)


	8. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Wanda is Matilda.

Michelle immediately reacted by glancing at her phone. She paused before pointing to the phone with her other hand and looking at the man with a quizzical expression. “Should-? Should I throw this out the window then?”

Steve looked at her confused. “What? Why would you need to-?”

“I mean, it’s a Stark Phone. Couldn’t he like… track me with it or something?” She looked at the offending object, questioning if she should switch any settings on it or text anyone before she may toss it into a lake or whatever.

“Why would you think he’d do that?”

Michelle held up the phone, shaking it for emphasis, “Well, I was seen with Natasha Romanoff for one.”

“Nat signed the Accords. All seeing you with her did was make him suspicious. He doesn’t think you’re a terrorist.”

“So, he’s not going to go all big brother like Batman did in the movie where he spied on all of Gotham?”

“Were you born this paranoid, or did you watch too many action movies with clowns as the villain?” The man asked while looking at her in amusement. “Tony isn’t a stalker, alright? The most he’ll do is try to look into your parents or look for some reason.”

“So, we’re giving him a reason, so he doesn’t look deeper.” She reasoned, placing her phone in her lap.

“Exactly. You want any creative input?”

Michelle paused for a moment. “Sam Wilson. Is he still with you guys?”

Steve glanced at her. “Yeah, why?”

“He served in the Air Force, right?” When the man with a plan nodded she took it as a sign to go on. “Our story can be that he met my parents at a function for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. He’s been close to them for a few years and kept in contact with letters. He was worried about me because my father’s back in service and he know my mother works a lot at the hospital, so he had Natasha check up on me for him. If we find some way to get him and me in a semi-public area with Natasha acting as a sort of guard, we can make it seem like… it was some sort of-.”

“Goodbye.” Steve finished nodding as he took a right. As they drove, the cars got increasingly scarce. The buildings that once seemed to tower on forever seemed to dwindle until they looked like regular homes instead of towering apartment buildings. “We can say he wanted to say goodbye and make sure you were okay because he wouldn’t be able to be in your life anymore or at least until the Accords get worked out. That may work.”

The drove in silence for a while. Michelle looking out the windows as the city landscape around her shifted and the area went from congested to miles and miles before she saw another home.

“Are we going to your base or-?”

Steve smiled. “Yes, but I wouldn’t exactly call it a base. But it works.”

Michelle looked around to try to figure out beforehand which building it was but was shocked when Steve pulled into a driveway that shot off from the empty street. The house looked… like a house. It was by no means a mansion, but it looked average.  Something like what a sitcom in middle America viewed as a standard home. She could almost picture a nuclear family living there. The man parked the car, opening the car door, and gesturing her to follow. She cautiously did so while looking around.

“Um, what’s your cover story?”

“Almost don’t need one, it’s a small enough town that near no one comes by. That being said, the property is one of Sam’s old friends’. It’s still in his name but he gave Sam the key’s a while ago.”

“Water billing?” She questioned. “Food? Electricity?”

“We use well water, but we send Natasha in disguise when we need something.”

Michelle nodded looking down. “Kind of was hoping you had some secret off-the-grid system, but that’s… cool, I guess.”

He rolled his eyes, walking toward the door with keys in hand. “Not all of us spend their school days learning how to break the laws of physics or invent a form of plumbing that will revolutionize the world.”

The girl laughed, adjusting her hold on her backpack while slipping her phone into her back pocket. “It’s not my fault the man with a plan made a basic plan, but oh well.” She walked towards the door, pausing for a moment to think about the fact that Captain America was holding the door open for her to enter a base with fugitives, before deciding it was best not to think of the legality at the moment.

“After you, Foxglove.” He ushered her inside.

She glanced over her shoulder as she entered. “Why the name ‘Foxglove’ anyway-?”

Michelle turned to come face to face with a plant that looked almost like a vertical vine with flowers of pink and a pink-ish purple littering it. It moved from face level to her left hand where it prodded her a few times. Michelle opened her hand, where it placed itself gently before she could speak.

“Foxgloves are a genus, or ranking, of plants which have the technical term Digitails.” A female voice stated. Michelle looked up from the plant to see the girl before her holding up a book she was obviously reading from. “While they have healing abilities, they can also be rather poisonous and toxic.”

The girl looked up a small smile on her face. “We had some growing out back in the garden and there were all thee books about plants laying around. Once I mentioned it, it kind of just stuck.  My name is Wanda, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Michelle recognized her as the Scarlet Witch immediately and somehow managed to speak without thinking. “Your powers are like a grown-up Matilda. I am a fan.”

Wanda looked confused but still smiled. “Matilda?”

“She’s this girl who loves to read and has telekinesis abilities and-. Well, it sounds weird when I-. I’ll show you it sometime.” Michelle found herself backtracking multiple times while she heard Steve snicker behind her. She elbowed him, but all it did was make her rub her new sore spot while glancing at him in annoyance.

Wanda seemed genuinely happy at that. “I look forward to it. Come on, the others would like to meet you.”

Michelle nodded, walking behind the girl as she glanced around the entryway. Shoes were placed on the mat, along with a few guns leaning against the wall beside them. The entryway was leading up to the main area by a small step, an opening living room greeting them.

“Foxglove is here,” Wanda announced before seating herself on a couch, motioning the younger girl to join her. Michelle moved slowly but sat down next to her.

A man showed himself from the doorway of an off-shoot room. “Huh. She’s taller than I thought.”

“I’m sitting down”

“Even sitting. You look sort of tall. I’m Sam. Sam Wilson.” He reasoned, he crossed his arms looking at Steve as he finally staggered into the room. “Did you come up with a story?”

“She did.” The blonde pointed at her. “You’re involved. We’ll say you know her father and mother and wanted to make sure she was all right with everything that’s been going on.”

He nodded. “Checks out. Her school is near where that Spider-Kid works a lot of the time, so we can say I was worried about that as well.”

Michelle made a face. “Why would that make a difference?”

“He fought on Tony’s side during that whole… airport fiasco.” Wanda informed her looking a little sheepish.

“He kicked Wilson’s ass too.” Another voice echoed, as Michelle turned to look behind the couch she noticed a man enter through the back door holding a few bags. He smiled at her before nodding. “Hawkeye.” She assumed that was a greeting and nodded back.

Sam looked at his fellow hero in annoyance. “Look, he didn’t kick my ass-.”

“It took you and a trained assassin to take him down. You, who had wings and a military background, and a person who has been a perfect assassin for decades. Neither of you could take him alone.” He plopped down on a stool beside the couch. “Whatever he is, he’s strong.”

“Do you think he’s a victim of Hydra’s experimentation or possibly a mutant?” Steve questioned. “He did seem strong. Told me he was from Queens though.”

“I doubt he’s Hydra,” Wanda stated, the tension was in her voice and it mimicked how stiff she had become at the mention of the group. “From what I’ve seen he was out there in street clothes and some goggles for about a year.”

“Doesn’t sound like Hydra to me.” The heroes nodded in agreement.

“So, where does that leave him?” Michelle looked confused. “He hasn’t signed the Accords, has he?”

Clint shrugged. “He’s not an Avenger, but I’m damn sure he’s on a few watch lists. He’s never shown his identity.”

“But he’s done nothing wrong. Last week I swear I saw him helping an old lady cross the street.”

Steve looked at her seriously. “Doesn’t matter. Under the Accords and what they represent, he’s a liability. All that matters is that he hasn’t signed the Accords.”

Michelle felt her hands become fists and took a few breaths. “That’s insane.”

“That’s why we’re here.” Sam gestured around the room before turning to Clint. “Did you bring the stuff?”

“Yep.” He held the bags out to him. “Provisions.”

“You can just say food or groceries, you know.”

“We have two military men and an army brat here, I’m using all the terms I know.”

“Honestly, fu-.”

Michelle felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out with one hand, using her other to signal everyone to be quiet.  “Michelle Jones speaking.”

_“Hey, um, Miche- I mean, MJ. It's Peter, are you okay?”_

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just spending time with my uncle.”

_“Sure, I mean, I just-. You know you can tell me- I mean the team if you need anything. You know that, right?"_

“Peter, if this is about the incident we can talk to the counselor tomorrow. I’m okay.”

_“I just … It wasn't about-. Okay. Um, don't forget movie night. I'll talk to you then.”_

“Kay. Bye.” She hung up easily, sending an apologetic look around the room. “Sorry, the whole team is still kind of rattled by the monument thing.”

Steve nodded. “Understandable.”

Wanda stood, walking toward the door Sam had entered from. “I’m going to start cooking while these two have their banter. Foxglove, would you care to join me?”

The girl nodded, setting an alarm on her phone to remind her when she’d have to leave. “Okay, but I don’t have more then an hour or two if we’re going to get back in time to avoid suspicion and throw in some time for the cover story to get to Stark.”

“Just let us know when you need to go. We’ll go over some details while eating.” Sam answered, currently giving Hawkeye a death glare.

Michelle gave them all one more once-over before she joined Wanda in the kitchen.

Huh. They all looked cooler on TV. Or maybe that was just what only seeing fighting clips did to their image.


	9. Balancing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Peter doesn't stumble.

Michelle forgot about the movie night until she heard _Love Less_ play from her phone as the words “Leave now your face the A.D. kids wrath” broadcasted themselves on her screen. She sent a look of apology to Wanda and Clint, who were both in the middle of cleaning off the chicken they were apparently going to make for dinner. She had helped them, successfully cleaning one and a half of the three packages before she got the alarm. When she had asked why so much the former assassin had reminded her they had two enhanced individuals with enhanced appetites while nodding at Matilda and the man who somehow fought in spandex.

Michelle frowned. Part of her had been looking forward to seeing if the small girl in front of her really could out eat the regular humans twice her size.

Steve stood, hearing the alarm from the table where he was going over Sam with their strategy for getting Stark off Michelle’s case. “Alright, show time. You ready?”

Michelle washed her hands before quickly grabbing some paper towel to dry her hands off, fighting the instinct to wipe them on her jeans. “Pretty simple. Let Uncle Sammy here drive me to my friend’s place, maybe banter with the windows rolled down. When he drops me off we hug and I tell him I’m glad I got to see him, he tells me to be careful. All this happens while Natasha is a safe distance nearby, so it looks like she’s playing guard. Yada, yadda, yadda.”

“Uncle Sammy?” Wanda had laughed as she set another piece on the plate, ready to be seasoned and covered in breadcrumbs.

“I get Steve and same have this whole… Star-Spangled Man with a Plan and Uncle Sam thing going on but I’d rather not feed into it.” Sam held in a chuckle, giving her a mock salute before taking the keys from the counter.

 Clint threw his head back in laughter before clapping Steve on the back. “I like her, you did well on this one.”

Steve rolled his eyes before clearing his throat as the tall girl started walking toward the door, following Sam’s lead. Michele turned to see him holding her backpack easily, an eyebrow raised in question.

She slowly made her way back, taking it from his hand. “My bad, thanks.”

“And take your jacket as well.”

Michelle rolled her eyes and gave him the middle finger but took her jacket off the hook before she left the house.

“Language!”

“I didn’t say anything, but message received.”

* * *

 

The ride back was filled with a mixture of questions about her life and what felt like test questions. If Natasha was in charge of making sure she wasn’t lying, Sam must have been in charge of making sure she was good at mental gymnastics… like Olympics level. They felt like those “what would you do if…” insert situations that will likely never happen games kids would play in the schoolyard.

“Situation eight. Your friend is-.”

“I’m going to stop you right there. My friends are kids who go to an advance science school. We all do nothing except study and watch either sci-fi or musicals.”

“What about that person who called you? They sounded concerned.” Sam started off. Michelle felt like she was being called to the beginning of a performance.

“That’s Peter, he’s on the academic decathlon team with me. He helped me calm down the others after the monument.”

“So he wasn’t too shaken.”

“Well, he wasn’t with us until after it happened. Said so family emergency happened but I call bullshit.”

Sam glanced at her. “What makes you so sure?”

Michelle shrugged. “I can read people. That’s why Steve gave me his number, to begin with. I don’t know why or how, but I’m almost always right. Actually, that’s a lie. I’m always right.”

“Huh. SHIELD would have recruited you if you were that good when you were older though.”

Michelle looked over at him, using her eyes to scan him like some medical software. “You walk with a slight limp in your right side. I thought it was a partial injury caused by something small like bumping into something. But you use your left foot while driving, so it must have been an injury long enough for you to adjust your driving accordingly.”

Sam looked at her, he lifted an eyebrow as she continued. “You’re also ambidextrous, which is good considering you fight a lot and need to work with your hands. Your eyes linger a millisecond longer on road signs containing the word “Harlem”, including both names of businesses and directions, then on any other sign with the exception of the Stark signs which I would chalk up to unresolved tension. So, you grew up in Harlem, right?”

Sam paused before nodding and saying, “Cap did well. You’re good at reading people.”

Michelle smiled, glancing at her phone screen to check the time.

“So, if you can read all that in a car ride why do you have issues reading where that Peter kid was the day of the monument?”

Michelle paused. “I guess I never try to read Peter like that. He’s pretty open about everything. He builds Star Wars Lego sets with Ned, he’s a Brainiac at science, lives with his Aunt, kinda had a rough upbringing but that’s not my story to tell.” She shrugged. “Not really a huge deal as far as reading.”

“Why not just try? I mean, for practice. You never know.”

Michelle looked at him, eyes narrowed. “Is this some weird training thing or-?”

“A bit. Mostly I just think he likes you, going by his voice on the phone.”

Michelle rolled her eyes, moving so she was hidden by her hair as she blushed looking out her window. “Ridiculous. You are as bad as high schoolers.”

Sam laughed. “You never outgrow it, kid. The drama just gets more scandalous.”

After that, the conversation shifted from interrogation to what Michelle imagined a conversation is he really was her Uncle Sammy would sound like. He had rolled the windows down and asked her easily about school and life in general.

“Apart from the… monument incident how was D.C, rugrat?” he asked playfully with a smile on his face. He had changed his posture to mirror a relaxed demeanor.

“Okay. I spent some time protesting so that was nice.”

“Atta girl.”

Michelle noticed a car that started driving behind them about five minutes before they reached Cindy’s place. She glanced in the rearview mirror before smiling. “She looks good blonde. Like Atomic Blonde only more badass.”

  
Sam chuckled. “I’ll let her know you approve of the styling and color.”

“Tell her I said to make sure she deep conditions. Bleaching hair is a bitch. Liz once tried to dye my hair red and it got all stringy.”

“Huh. Red seems like it would suit you.”

Michelle nodded. “Maybe I’ll get it done one day, not really a priority right now.”

When Sam pulled up in front of Cindy’s house he unbuckled his seat belt and climbed out, leading with his left leg which made Michelle glance at him to make sure he was okay even though she had seen him walking before. She snapped back to reality when Sam opened her door, she unfastened her seatbelt before being pulled into a hug.

“Going to miss you, kiddo. Stay safe out there and tell your parents I said hi.”

 Michelle returned the hug, going over the cover story in her head again. “I’m always careful. You’re the one that needs to stay safe.”

He smiled, patting her on the back before reaching for her bag on the floor of the car and handing it to her. “See ya around, kid.”

“Later, Uncle Sammy.” She gave a mock salute before walking up to the door as Sam pulled away, Natasha tailing him in his retreat.

Michelle didn’t even have time to knock before the door swung open to a familiar yet unexpected pair of faces.

“Hey losers,” she responded, trying her best to not let the surprise coat her voice. “You made it before I did. I didn’t miss _Ease on Down the Road_ , did I?”

Both boys stood with their mouths agape.

Huh. Maybe reading them would be the only way to get answers.

Michelle looked at both boys’ posture, eyeing them up and down. Peter’s foot had moved once he opened the door, he looked like he was waiting for some kind of blow to come from beyond the wood that was before him seconds ago. His arms were tense, knees bent as though preparing to pounce. His shirt was pulled askew revealing a red-rimmed undershirt around his neck, from the angle it was … it seemed as though Peter had been about to rip or even pull off the Midtown shirt he was wearing. Why would-? She doubted he was brave enough to undress in the locker room, let alone at a friend’s house.

She took a moment to take in Ned, who was positioned in a defensive manner. He was half turned toward the kitchen as though to run for back up if needed. No, that didn’t make sense. Why would Ned be getting back up? Maybe he was turned to grab a phone in case of emergency, that seemed more fitting for the boy. But still-.

“Um, hey MJ. Sorry, I just… I just thought I saw someone I knew. Glad you could make it.”

Michelle let out a snort. “I’ve made it to the last hundred movie nights, Parker. You and Leeds are the ones with the shit record of accomplishment.”

She moved between them to enter the house, easily walking to the kitchen to get snacks. “Did you start without me?”

Ned blinked before following her. “No. Right now we’re just missing Flash and Charles. Liz said if they aren’t here in fifteen we’ll start without them. Also, we’re watching Annie after the Wiz.”

She paused, throwing the bag of popcorn into the microwave, and hitting the start button. “Which Annie?”

“That new one that came out a few years ago,” Ned responded.

Michelle nodded, pulling the selection of popcorn flavoring shakers from the cabinet. She handed a few to Ned before gesturing for Peter to move closer so he could carry the others.

Peter seemed tense. He walked stiffly, his arms still tense though he was trying to appear casual. “So, was that your uncle?” He asked as Michelle pulled the bag from the microwave and started dividing it into several bowls.

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“On leave from the military?”

“Mhm.”

He got quiet for a moment, only moving when the taller girl would gesture for him to carry something.  “Didn’t know you had an uncle.”

Michelle rolled her eyes, regarding him carefully. “You’ve mentioned you don’t know much about me before.”

Ned had taken a few of the flavoring shakers and two bowls of popcorn before opting to make another trip for the other snacks and heading to the living room. And he was struggling a bit with his balance as he left.

However, Peter was an anomaly. In his time silently holding everything Michelle had been handing him as he seemed to be lost in a place between thoughts and reality, he had managed to hold more than Michelle would predict. A few litters of soda she’d grabbed from the fridge, a bowl of chips, an Oreo container, and a bag of disposable cups. She had even handed them to him so he would be off balance in a way, but he never stumbled or adjusted himself.

“Have you been going to the gym, Parker?” She questioned, looking away as she pulled out her phone to look up the nearest pizza place that would deliver.

His head snapped up, confusion written in his wide eyes. “Wh-what?”

“You’re stronger then you used to be. Better balance too.”

She saw panic cross his eyes before he let out a chuckle. “I-Uh guess I grew out of the awkward puberty stage, huh? I’m gonna set all this stuff down in the room with the others. I’ll- I mean, call me if you need help carrying anything else.” With that he scurried off, not dropping any of the items she’d given him.

Michelle bit her lip, eyes where he had stood as she listens to the dial tone.

Maybe she should read Peter more often. Something was off about that one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, a few things:  
> 1.) I did write a prequel that invloves Michelle meeting Tony. It's a one-shot titled, How Foxglove Grows. So, check that out.  
> 2.) I made a tumblr. It is madauderamarvel.tumblr.com, so if any of you have requests or anything let me know.  
> 3.) I'm thinking of making a Spotify playlist of songs that are used in/inspire this fic so if you guys would like that let me know.  
> As always, let me know how you liked this chapter! Thanks for reading.


	10. Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Michelle remembers.

If Michelle thought that Peter was jumpy before, she clearly had not seen his true spaz-tic potential. She genuinely was questioning if he needed to be alone for a bit to calm down, but she didn’t want to push it. It was rare she associated so closely with people, with Liz and a few others being the only exceptions. She didn’t think most people would take kindly to knowing that someone who just got the friend status was so intimately aware of their behavior. She still sometimes hid it from Liz.

“I’m ordering the pizza, so if anyone has any requests they should speak now or forever hold their peace,” Michelle yelled, walking into the living room with her eyes staring at the screen in her hands.

When she looked up she saw everyone else wore a mixture of sweatpants or what they had worn to school earlier. Liz had her pink bunny socks probed up on the table as she reclined on the couch with Betty and Cindy beside her, trying to subtly hold hands behind a pillow.  Abe had already started pulling bean bags out of the storage closet, tossing them to the side of the couch for him and the members on their way. Ned and Peter had for some reason decided to sit to the side, though still close enough to see the TV.  They were sitting on the carpeted ground one of the bowels of popcorn between them. Huh.

“Is it against loser code to use a beanbag? Or a cushion? Or even a chair?” She questioned them, raising an eyebrow.  Peter didn’t look her in the eye, but Michelle noticed he tensed.

Abe rolled he eyes with a chuckle. “They probably think they’re in the doghouse for missing so many bonding nights.” He paused, looking as though he were considering his options. “I mean… Are they really wrong?”

She rolled her eyes and sighed over dramatically before plucking some of the pillows for the couch and tossing them at both of the boys. “Here. Abe’s just joking around. He makes lame jokes.”

“Hey!”

They both mumbled a thanks, Ned sending her a weary smile. What the hell was wrong with them? They were fine at lunch.

“If you refuse to order pineapple on pizza, I swear-.” Liz started, mock anger on her face.

“Relax, your slice of herbivore heaven is on its way. Anyone else?”

Michelle completed the online order, asking Cindy to verify the address before completing the transaction and flopping down on the couch. Betty let out a small giggle. “Too much work for you, MJ?”

Michelle threw an arm over her eyes. “So much. You have to type out the add-ons and everything.”

She moved her arm at the sound of laughter from the other girls and the eye-roll from Abe, before glancing over at the dorky duo. Peter was looking at her oddly like she had somehow spouted an extra head. Maybe Sam was right. Peter clearly wasn’t just an average smarty-pants kid and he didn’t stand out just because of the Stark internship.

“How’s your mom’s research, MJ?” Cindy asked, lazily tossing a piece of popcorn for Betty to try to catch in her mouth.

“Same old, same old. Most of it is classified, but she still works with powered individuals and deals with effects radiation. After the Accords, they basically put her on lockdown mode so no more looking into the logistics unless I get clearance. So,” She paused to do some quick mental math. “Six or seven years?”

“You can work in that field with a master’s?”

“Nah. I’ll probably breeze through my doctorate’s in four to five years. I’m just not willing to bypass high school.” Michelle smiled a little as she went over her plan.

“Wait, your mom was affected by the Accords?” Ned questioned, only to get Peter elbowing him in the ribs.

Michelle nodded looking at him oddly. “It wasn’t just the Avenger’s affected, y’know that right? My mom is pretty involved in research of enhanced or powered individuals when it comes to medical understanding and advance treatment since most of our medication doesn’t work on them. I haven’t been able to talk to her about it lately because of the Accords but she used to work pretty closely with Charles Xavier, she also worked with the Avengers through Stark Industries. Now I’m not sure who she works for, but she can’t say legally speaking so-,” Michelle gave a small shrug.

Abe laughed loudly at Peter and Ned’s expressions. “Why are you surprised? Most of the students have parents in high-level positions. That’s why most of us can afford to go to Midtown.”

Peter looked awkward before gripping some popcorn as though eating would save him from the situation.

Michelle threw a couple kernels at Abe, a glare on her face. Did he not know Peter was a scholarship kid? There was no malice in his words, so she didn’t think he meant it as a jab, but really? The admissions testing for Midtown already was difficult for kids who could afford it and the tutors to help them. Parker managed to not only get in but get in with a free ride. He may be the biggest dork she ever met, but he was still smart.

Abe sent her a confused expression. “What’d I say?”

“None of us got in on money alone, numbskull. We’re a slightly more racially diverse group of Sherlocks and Einsteins.” Michelle moved to lean her head on her hand. “Besides, all the money in the world couldn’t help Flash so-.”

There were a few laughs before the doorbell rang, she stood while stretching as though preparing for a race. “Alright, Parker. Help me carry them in.”

Peter looked surprised but followed the taller girl towards the door.

Once they were out of earshot, she started. “Hey, Pe-!”

“Open the door! Our hands are full!” Charles’ voice could be heard through the thick door. Peter seemed relieved and somehow scooted past Michelle, so he could let them in.

Both Flash and Charles had about three pizzas in their hands, Flash whooping loudly as he made his way to the living room.

“The food and the Flash are here; the party can now start!”

Michelle sighed loudly, looking at Charles.

“I’ll get him to calm down, he’s probably just still on caffeine overload from our cram session. He took a five-hour energy like three hours ago so hopefully, he’ll knock out by the time Annie is playing.” Charles gave a small smile, before walking after Flash. “Well, you guys get the plates?”

Peter nodded, though he seemed skittish again. He mumbled a few words before taking off to the kitchen. Huh. Michelle seemed to have somehow made him nervous at the thought of being alone with her… maybe she overstepped her boundaries.

She followed slowly, moving to lean against the doorframe as Peter scurried across the kitchen look for plates. “Top shelf, right cabinet.”

Peter nodded, before trying to reach for them. He seemed to be a few inches too short.

Michelle swallowed a giggle as she moved to his side, politely taking them down for him and handing them to him. He blushed, but she wasn’t sure if it was because he was nervous or because he was embarrassed.

“Hey, Abe didn’t mean anything by what he said. He can be an idiot sometimes. No one cares.” She tried to soothe him, but he came out more nonchalant. She leaned against the counter as she spoke.

She heard him stop fidgeting with the plates, but he didn’t turn around. “Wh-What?”

“No one cares that you’re a scholarship kid. It’s fine. You still passed the entrance exam, and you deserve to be here as much as any of us.”

He turned to look at her now, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “How did you-?”

“You opt out of some of the expensive field trips the school offers, you take the subways and buses to get to school instead of being dropped off. Your phone is at least three years behind everyone else’s.”  When she looked at him she felt herself getting nervous. “I’m observant, loser. Like I said, no one cares.”

“I, um, thanks.” He managed to say, looking down at the plates in his hand.

Michelle didn’t know if this would work, but honestly, it had to be worth a shot. Peter’s reaction would gauge if he was actually worth looking into deeper. If he was… she didn’t know how to describe it. Just more.

“Also, I know something is up with you.” She said evenly, looking at Peter from the corner of her eye. He tensed. “I can tell when people lie and you lie all the time. No one calls you out on it though. I’m going to find out what it is.”

And just like that, she knew something very bad must be going on with Peter. Not only did he tense up more, but he wiped his hands on his jeans.  He bit his lip and started glancing to his left. Red flag after red flag.

“Mi-Michelle, I thought you said we were friends. Why are you so suspicious of me?” He asked. He was avoiding her initial response by trying to make her question herself with a side of guilt. Another red flag.

“You are my friend, but that doesn’t mean-.”

And just like that, Michelle felt like an idiot. She should have seen this before, why was she so absent-minded with Peter when her proof was right in front of her in that detention?

 _“I mean, you call the team your friends and you helped everyone after the Washington Monument but_ _… it doesn_ _’t seem fair?_ _”_ Peter had reasoned, as she sketched. She hadn’t thought about it then but-.

Peter should not have heard her say that, because Peter wasn't at the Monument. Hell, no one should have heard her besides the faceless tourists and- Shit.

It started to add up. His newfound balance, how he just walked into school one day without his glasses when the day before he was blind as a bat, how he seemed to breeze through gym classes that usually left him needed an inhaler, even the... the Stark internship! Wow. She really was an idiot.

Peter Parker. The same boy who played with legos was the same boy that saved their entire class in D.C.

Peter Parker was Spider-Man.

_God, I'm gonna need therapy after dealing with all these people in tights with zero self-preservation._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't seen Infinity Wars yet but I have seen some spoilers so, reminder, TAG ALL SPOILERS. This story is not SM:HC compliant (Tony, after the monuments, starts talking to Peter about what was going on and gave him his private number so Peter is not going to fight Falcon.) and because of that, will not be related to Infinity War at least not until I finish this one and find some way to write MJ into it. I am working on chapter two of Camping Tents & Embarrassment.
> 
> Also, I wrote a oneshot about Michelle meeting Tony when she was younger that talks more about her mom's job so maybe check that out.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked the story! :)


	11. Comforting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Michelle comforts and Peter panics.

Old Michelle would never have done this. Old Michelle who stuck to the sidelines and observed at a distance never reacted to information, at least not any more of a reaction than an arched eyebrow raising and a slow once-over. No, old Michelle had enough know-how to avoid being pulled into situations like this. That, however, was not this Michelle.

She was sure her face gave away her realization and she saw the boy’s eyes widen in panic. He looked over his shoulder quickly before urging her backward toward the door that was behind her. Old Michelle would not be in this situation, but if she had she would have stopped Peter by mentioning that the door was to a small pantry. However, MJ didn’t realize this until they were both plunged into the dark and she heard a few boxes of cereal fall as Peter tried to find a light switch.

MJ blinked, the darkness suddenly becoming light as she realized the small cupboard made her stand oddly close to Peter. She turned slightly to try to make room for her to at least halfway sit on one of the shelves, she had a feeling this was going to be a long conversation.

“Look, you can’t tell anyone! Okay, MJ? I promise I’m just helping. Mr. Stark even gave me this suit so I could do it better and I’m sorry I missed so many things, but there are people out there that need me. So many people look for Spider-Man when they’re in trouble, it’s not that I don’t want to spend time with the team- And I’ve been feeling like shit all day for bailing on you all and then you show up with a war criminal dropping you off and-!”

“Breathe, Parker.” She reminded him reaching out to grab his elbow. The boy had a habit of talking with his hands and she didn’t want anything else falling around them. “I won’t tell anyone. No speak slowly and clearly.”

Peter stared at her. “You just found out I’m Spider-Man. How are you not more freaked out than me?”

She sighed. “I’m madder it took me this long. I heard you and Ned talking about stuff like Spider-Man but I assumed it was a video game or some larping thing.” She shook her head. “Now, speak clearly. This time without the flailing. The louder you are the faster the others will find us and I’m guessing you pushed me in here to explain.”

He finally seemed to realize he had pushed the girl into the small pantry closet and she could see his face match the red of his mask. “I-I… I’m sorry, Michelle. I panicked. I really shouldn’t have pushed you in here, I didn’t want to scare you. I’m sorry-I.” He looked up to see an exasperated look before sheepishly apologizing again.

“I’m sorry I’ve been missing team stuff. I honestly just didn’t think about it, I’ve been patrolling. There was this guy with alien tech I was worried about finding, which is why I missed the meet- which I’m sorry about too- and then Mr. Stark found out and took me off the case. After D.C. he’s been giving me updates about the F.B.I. finding the guy and he wired my suit so he knows if I’ll try to get involved. He even helped me make these spider cams that can patrol the city while I’m working on homework and tell me if I’m needed anywhere. He wants me to focus on school and social interaction first, so I’ve been trying to and-.”

“Breathe,” Michelle encourages when she sees him start to talk himself into a worry. Peter looks at her oddly.

_Well, this has worked with Liz before so-_ _…_

Without thinking too much about it, Michelle snakes her arm around Peter and starts moving slow circle on his back. It wasn’t like it was extremely charged or anything. She’d done this before for Liz when the stress of a final exam was too much, she’d done this for Abe after the monument, she’d even done it to reassure her mother every time there was an attack on their city. But, with Peter, it felt different.

He had tensed at the comfort for a moment. She didn’t realize for a moment that to him she may just feel like a stranger and having someone who you didn’t know touching you could make it worse. Right as she was about to moves her hand she felt him relax. He sent her a small smile, “Thanks, MJ.”

She nodded. “I take it you haven’t talked to someone about this?”

“I mean, I told Mr. Stark about the guy with the weapons. I talk to Ned about plans.”

“Try talking to Ned about the emotional stuff too. Or see if Stark will get you a therapist or something. I think you freaked out like that because of anxiety. I’m here if you want to talk but I don’t exactly have a degree.” She explained it slowly, as though Peter was a small deer. “What you’re doing a great, but you can’t worry about everything alone. The world won’t end if you act like a teenager once in a while.”

She let out a small chuckle in an attempt to lighten the mood and the next moment she found herself being hugged by the boy in spandex. She slowly reciprocated, feeling like there was something fuzzy and warm inside her chest. “We have to get back out there, loser. We can talk ab-.”

The small room’s door was swung open with enough force to make the doorknob slap into the wall on the other side. Both of them looked up, eyes wide. They had jumped apart in the heat of the moment, making a few bags of chips fall as they did so. Betty and Flash stood before them, looking just as shocked as they were.

“Wh-Wha-Penis Parker!” Flash stuttered out before being smacked in the arm by the blonde girl harshly.

They barely had time to process before they heard footsteps clamoring toward the kitchen. Michelle, assuming Peter was frozen and would probably not move, took the time to jump off the shelf and prod him out of the pantry along with herself.

“Will you two stop overreacting? Everything is fine.” She insisted though she felt her face turning red under her façade.

Betty looked at her in astonishment as the others made their way to the kitchen. The team looked around confused, but the tension in the air seemed to make everyone straighten.

“Betty, what’s-?” Liz started slowly.

Betty opened her mouth to speak when Flash interrupted, pointing between the spider kid and MJ. “They were in the closet together, their arms were around each other and everything!”

Ned blinked a few times before glancing between Flash and the air. “This is a joke, right?”

Betty shook her head, crossing her arms. “No. I saw it too.”

Liz looked at her friend then back to the girl in question, who had started to shift at the intense scrutiny. “Wait. MJ, was it, Peter, you were meeting before school today? Is that why you were late to class?”

“What, no-!”

Ned looked between them, finally settling on sending Peter a slightly hurt look. “I mean, Peter did walk her to her locker and to lunch today…”

Peter’s gapped for a moment. “It was on the way and we were already talking! It-!”

“Why else would you two be in the pantry closet holding each other if you weren’t together?” Charles asked looking around the room. Abe and Flash nodded in agreement, though all of them still looked shocked.

“We aren’t together.” Michelle insisted, looking at their looks of amusement and shock. She suddenly smacked Peter’s arm lightly. “Tell them, loser.”

Flash rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Penis Parker. Tell us all about your logical explanation why you were holding onto Ms. Moody if you aren’t together. Go ahead. Let’s see if you can lie your way out of this one.”

In all honesty, MJ should have known better than to put Peter in the driver’s seat when it came to this. He didn’t do well in social pressure situations.

“I asked her to homecoming and she said yes.”


	12. Arguing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Peter and Michelle argue.

Michelle never really said much; she preferred to be a silent audience member watching as other argued and fought over small issues that were barely existent on her radar. That, however, was by choice. This time when she doesn’t speak it was because she genuinely did not know what to say. She didn’t think that calling Parker a loser or idiot would cover fully the annoyance she was currently feeling.

Ned looks between the two of them, eyes as wide as the other people in the room. He stares at Peter for a half second longer than the taller girl. “Uh…”

“Well,” Liz starts while staring at her friend in a mix of shock and slight betrayal. “Congrats, I guess?” It sounded like a question before she seemed to snap back into herself and took control of the team as she normally did. She slowly ushered the others toward the living room, mentioning that they still had pizza hot and ready.

Slowly but surely the other decathlon kids made their way out of the room. Flash mumbling, “Since when does penis Parker even talk to girls…?”

Ned squeezed past the others, telling Liz he’d be there in a second and just wanted to grab a glass of water. Once the spiderling, the guy in the chair, and the “weirdo” were alone Ned looked directly at Peter. “Pete, can we talk in pri-?”

“She knows about the Stark Internship.”

MJ turned to the boy, finally finding her voice and remembering how to communicate. “Do you naturally word vomit or is this a side-effect of inhaling spandex fumes so much?”

Ned smacked Peter’s arm in annoyance, seemingly to snap him back to reality. “You _told_ her?” He was whispering but yell-whispering. It was a miracle that half the school didn’t know about the boy in tights, these two sucked at secrets.

“I figured it out myself.” Michelle crossed her arms. “I’m also standing right here so maybe include me in the conversation.”

Peter looked between MJ and Ned, mouth slightly a gap before he shook his head and point an accusatory finger and MJ.  “Wait, this doesn’t change the fact a war criminal dropped you off here. Why am I the only one under scrutiny right now?”

“Why did you bring Homecoming up?” Michelle replied. “Now the only people at the school any of us associate with think we’re together. I know you suck at lying, but why the hell didn’t you come up with something else?”

Ned somehow got upgraded to the mediator as both teens who were supposed to be together looked at each other with fingers pointed and aggravation in their tones. “Wait a minute, that could be a good cover. I mean, I’m not sure Peter thought it out but-.”

“I was put on the spot-!”

Ned sent him a look and he quieted down. “I know, but can you both shut up and just think about it for a second? Half the team thinks the Stark Internship is bullshit. They believe that you two are together though.”

“So?” the girl rolled her eyes.

“So, we can use this. If Peter is out being Spider-Man and you take over guy in the chair duties once in a while-.”

“I’m sorry guy in the what?”

“The guy in the chair. The Alfred to his Batman.”

“… in what world is Peter Batman-?”

“My point being,” Ned ended the back and forth with the same look he had sent Peter. “People won’t question if the couple goes missing at the same time. You guys should keep up the act.”

Peter and Michelle looked at each other, both wary.

Peter raised his hand, pointing the finger he had let drop a few moments ago. “Okay, but that doesn’t change the fact that Michelle got dropped off by a war criminal. Am I just supposed to ignore that or-?”

“He’s my uncle, Peter.”

“Isn’t he Falcon?”

“So what if he is?”

“Michelle-!”

Ned held his hands up at both of them. “Okay, I think I’ve found the negotiation terms.” He pointed to Peter. “You said Mr. Stark already texted you about keeping an eye out for Michelle.” He turned and did the same to MJ. “You know his secret and seem to care enough to not want to tell the entire team. What we’re going to do is compromise.  Peter will talk to Mr. Stark and tell him Michelle isn’t in danger or a threat. She’s close to Falcon and needs to see him for emotional support. That’ll keep him off of Michelle’s back and let her see him without worrying about him being captured or her being brought into the Accords. In return, Michelle is going to keep up the act so Peter will be able to do the Stark Internship without worrying about people watching him too closely. Sound fair?”

Peter let out a sigh, nodding his head and holding out his hand for Michelle to shake.

Michelle eyed both of the boys before her. “If I agree to this, you two can’t spy on me. I’m part of it, not some damn target.”

“Deal,” Peter replied immediately.

“My dress is yellow,” MJ let out with a sigh as the shook hands.

Peter paused, look at her in confusion. “Huh?”

“For Homecoming.”

Before Peter could respond Ned smiled and looked between them like a coach before a huddle at a sporting event. “Now, go in there and make people think you’re an annoying ass couple.”

Peter bit his lip, turning to the girl next to him again. "I promise not to spy on you, but tell me if something is wrong. I get that he's you're uncle and everything but... I don't trust him."

Michelle rolled her eyes. "Listen, spider-boy, you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine."

He looked apprehensive before nodding slowly. "Just... let either of us know if something's up. I may not have really been here for a lot of stuff but I'm your friend."

"Can we not make this a hallmark moment, loser? Save it for when we try to convince the others we're together."

Ned laughed before nodding in the direction of the living room.

Michelle took Peter's hand, easily falling into her role.

_I now have a rogue superhero uncle and a rogue superhero "boyfriend". God, am I starring in a really shitty anime or something?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been kind of sick lately so this is shorter and less frequent then I planned on it being. Thank you for reading!


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